Sorkbekymmer? – From 2

I last post I noted that many of the most famous combat methods against voles do not work in the long run. But little hope is there anyway by combining different methods that I have not yet mentioned together.

It is namely to penalize vole by affect its habitat, protect individual trees, using traps and to benefit its enemy. As we have seen, one could see the young forest garden as something that dream vole habitat, but be sure to keep all the grass that remain cut short can be a way to obstruct vole. Particularly field strength is easy to keep at a distance of vegetation around the sensitive trees are kept short. Snowy winters, it is a good idea to step down or shovel the snow around the trees. To shovel away snow can also be a good way to get frost to go down deeper into the soil, thus making vattensorkens digging. Otherwise, opportunities for habitat change rather limited in the woodland garden context, although the forest garden with time “outgrow” the reed. The shadier and moister mature woodland garden is not vole favorite habitat.

Åkersorkens girdling can be prevented by inserting a plastic pipe or gnagskydd around strains, it has worked great for us and we have not yet received a ringbarkat trees. Unfortunately we have had bad experience with it quite expensive vole net made of ordinary steel rust away with time. With us roast it after just one season and we have lost a number of trees that should have been protected. In a German report [2] I found the information that they had made nätkorgar of common 50 cm wide galvanized sexkantsnät (20 mm mesh size). they used 70 cm per basket and the trees would not have been hampered in their growth, while all vole problems ceased.

There is even actual vole baskets to buy in Germany. It says that the usual sorknät (the rusting) works well in sandy soils, but it rusts too fast in clay soils. According to the manufacturer, the tree roots easily expand the worms in the galvanized grid without damage. A further variant of this is to create a ring network with open bottom where the roots can grow freely downwards, when vole does not dig too deeply. To compare the different methods I used both oförzinkat, galvanized mesh bottom and galvanized nets no bottom when I created a small apple grove on 13 trees on the edge of the forest garden. If 10 year or so, it should be clear if it galvanized the network really does not inhibit the growth of trees.

traps among the more forceful measures against voles. Water vole build vast underground passages and the SLU report recommends trap Topcat inserted into the top of the aisles. In Sweden, it is easy to find a plastic version called SuperCat and it has worked well for us. Traps are most effective if used in the spring. During summer vole population swell to 500 or more individuals per hectare, but after the long winter, they can be as few as 2-20 individuals per hectare. Batting then make vole population disappears entirely for the season. Although soon, the forward end of August is a good time to set traps. Then move namely voles from cornfields to their winter quarters in the ramparts, bear- and orchards, nurseries, etc.. where there are plenty of roots to eat enough of the winter [3].

What we have focused the most on lately (besides the traps) is to benefit vole enemy. And there are many such. Sorken namely is the staple food for a variety of predators. Owls are best when they are active at the same time as water dryer, ie at night. Although ferret, ermine and mink are (where they are) vole skilled hunters and other common predators such as foxes, the, provinces, marten, Badger, Cat, dog, viper and various other birds of prey like to eat voles. We have tried to promote the viper (which, incidentally, is a protected species in Sweden and basically harmless when not provoked) by among others. build sunlit stone cairns. Even during the otherwise favorable for vole black plastic storm thrive viper. In addition, we have set up several raptor perches and are in the happy position that there are a number of owls in the relatively undisturbed old-growth forest that surrounds the forest garden. Even large rishögar and forest garden's varied topography and vegetation creates potential life spaces for sorkätare.

The conclusion is that we must learn to live with vole in the young forest garden and that there is no hundred percent protection for newly planted trees. But with the time change course of forest garden's structure and it should be a sort of balance between the vole and its enemies. To reduce the possible damage, we can look to create habitat for these enemy and using traps wisely. It is important to remember that it needed at least a little vole if we want vole enemies remain near forest garden. Perhaps it might also be a good idea to plant dense to let the vole perform part of a thinning. This is of course much cheaper if we look to propagate the plants themselves, by seeding, inoculation, cuttings or other vegetative propagation techniques I described in previous posts.

Literature
[1] Jansson, R., J. Albertsson, S.A. Svensson, and t.o.p.S.L.U.A. Enclosure administration – cultivation. Control of water vole and field vole in Swedish orchard basis for training module. 2010. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn urn =:nbn:is:case:epsilon-5-153
[2] fur, H.-J., voles – Biology and control. 2000.
[3] Jensen, K. Voles on the way into the groves of Farmers' Letters from County Board, 8 August 2016.